Islamabad and Washington agree to cooperate in various areas to prevent and deter terrorist groups, says Vedant Patel
- US reaffirms technical assistance to Pakistan over border threats.
- Islamabad and Washington agree to curb the terrorist organization Spox.
- Pakistan has seen an increase in terrorist incidents in recent months.
WASHINGTON: The United States on Wednesday reiterated its support for Pakistan in its fight against terrorism and border issues as the country seeks to curb the scourge of terrorism.
“Today we reiterated to Pakistan our bilateral intentions to strengthen our capabilities to deal with emerging threats, especially our communications on terrorism,” said Vedant Patel, the US State Department’s chief spokesperson, at a press conference in Washington. I have confirmed that.”
In response to a question about recent security talks between Islamabad and Washington, the spokesperson said the two countries cooperate in various areas to thwart terrorist groups, including counter-IED investigations, technical assistance on the western border, etc. He said they had agreed to suppress the attack.
His remarks came as Pakistan faces a rise in terrorism in recent months with numerous attacks targeting civilians, law enforcement and security forces in various parts of the country.
Pakistan has reiterated its concerns to the Afghan Taliban Interim Government over the use of Afghan soil by various militant groups, including Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
Patel’s comments referred to a high-level meeting between the two countries in Washington earlier this week, where discussions focused on the regional counter-terrorism situation.
The meeting was co-chaired by Mr. Syed Haider Shah, Additional Foreign Minister to the United Nations and Ambassador to the OIC, and Ambassador Elizabeth Richard, Counter-Terrorism Coordinator at the US State Department.
According to a statement released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (FO), during the meeting the two countries agreed that the partnership to counter ISIS and Khorasan (also known as Daesh), the TTP and other terrorist organizations will promote regional security and strengthen the borders. As a model for bilateral and regional cooperation to address the threat of terrorism beyond.
According to the Q1 2024 Security Report published by the Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) in April this year, at least 92% of all fatalities and 86% of attacks, including terrorist-related, occurred in Pakistan. It should be noted that and security force operations were recorded in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan in the first quarter of 2024.
The report said the country has witnessed at least 432 violence-related deaths and 370 injuries among civilians, security personnel and outlaws as a result of as many as 245 terrorist attacks and counterterrorism operations. Stated.
Of the 432 people killed, 281 were civilians and security force personnel.
KP and Balochistan alone accounted for 51% and 41% of the total deaths in the first quarter of 2024, respectively. According to the data, the rest of the region was relatively peaceful, with the death toll accounting for less than 8% of the total.
